This Winter, You Can Ice Skate at The Venetian

The Venetian and The Palazzo always deck their halls for the holidays (remember the '09 cranberry bog?) but this year, they are finally doing something cool--putting in an ice rink above The Venetian's outdoor Grand Canal. Yes, ice-skating outdoors in Vegas is now possible!

The ice skating rink is actually a synthetic one made of recyclable polymer that does not require refrigeration or electricity so it's totally environmentally friendly and 100 percent weird, but hey, we'll skate on it! It will be open to guests from 11am to 11pm daily but it will cost ya--$19 for a 30-minute session and $14 for Grazie members.

In addition to the rink, the Venetian and Palazzo will round out their "Winter in Venice" celebration with a 65-foot LED holiday tree atop the Doge’s Palace fountain and 2,000 LED lights and giant snowflakes, ranging from 48 to 72-inches in diameter, strung across the facade of The Venetian.

And each night, The Venetian’s Doge’s Palace will host the Strip’s most spectacular holiday light show called, well, the “Nightly Holiday Spectacular.” Details are kinda murky but it involves an angel appearing over the Rialto Bridge to light the Christmas, er, excuse us Holiday Tree. Show times are 6:30, 7:30, 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. nightly. (Sirens at TI, you've been served!)

Lastly, guests who check into the hotel from November 21-January 8 will get warm apple cider upon arrival and a "Welcome to Winter in Venice" greeting. No, that does not apparently involve any upgrades.

Want to make your holiday in Vegas a little more home-like? The Palazzo and The Venetian are both offering in-suite Christmas Eve and Hanukah packages to guests which include either a four-foot decorated Christmas tree and poinsettias or a menorah and a kosher gift basket. Rates start at $200 a night.

Comment (1)

Fans of skating can finally skate outside

Fans of skating can finally skate outside the Venetian! I wonder how many people are actually looking forward to it, but at least there is an additional activity to enjoy while on holiday there. What I like about it is that it is made of a recyclable polymer. I appreciate that it is environmentally friendly, but skating purists would probably scoff at the idea.